Soon after this past Friday’s episode of HDNetFight’s Inside MMA, we reported that Tito Ortiz confirmed he was talking with UFC and Elite XC. Here is more video from Inside MMA, where Tito talks about his future and which company he may fight for next.

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With a possible return of Randy Couture to the UFC in the works, might another former disgruntled UFC fighter be ready to follow in his footsteps?

During last night’s airing of “Inside MMA” on HDNet, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz stated that in addition to being engaged in contract negotiations with Affliction and EliteXC, a return to the UFC still remains a possibility — albeit a remote one.

“EliteXC — possibility. Affliction — possibility. UFC — a small chance of that happening,” the free agent fighter responded when discussing his future options.

Ortiz’s last fight for the promotion took place in May at UFC 84, where he lost a unanimous decision to undefeated light heavyweight sensation Lyoto Machida. After the fight, the long-standing feud between Ortiz and UFC President Dana White continued during a post-fight press conference. However, it sounds as though that Ortiz might finally be ready to move on.

“The things between me and Dana White, I’m shoving it off and moving on with my life,” Ortiz proclaimed.

Whether or not Ortiz and White can work with each other again in spite of their issues remains to be seen, but if a deal is worked out, it wouldn’t be the first time the two did business together while a great deal of animosity existed between the two.

The reality is that much like a free agent in baseball, basketball, or football, Ortiz is going to sign with whichever promotion makes him the best financial offer, irrespective of his personal feelings.

Not too long ago I wrote a piece about Tito Ortiz and whether or not he was worth Affliction’s money. My feeling is that he’s not and while he is worth a good deal and big bucks, he’s not worth a deal that pays him more than any MMA star in the game. It looks like someone in the MMA industry agrees with me and lays it out perfectly. From NBC Sports:

“The problem with signing Tito is how do you judge his value now?” said an MMA executive who didn’t want to be named. “It’s a balance between name and performance. He knows you’re after him for his name value, but at the same time, you know his best days are probably behind him. So what are you really paying for? It’s like buying a pair of expensive jeans and paying for a label. They’re really not any better than Gap jeans. You just hope people notice them more, but you can’t make them notice.”

This is exactly the feeling that I have about Ortiz. Yes he is worth a big deal because of his name value and his proven track record for PPV buys. But he is not worth a ridiculous amount of money because he is past his prime and has never evolved as a fighter. He hasn’t had a significant victory since the first quarter of 2006 and hasn’t won a fight since late 2006 and both of those wins came against a washed up Ken Shamrock in the first round. Ortiz is a star, there’s no doubt about it. But you paying him an inordinate amount of money is a truly risky thing for a promotion to do because all you’re getting is a name.

Despite proclaiming earlier this month that he had signed a “record breaking” contract with Affliction Entertainment, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is once again negotiating with multiple MMA promotions, reports MMAjunkie.com’s Dann Stupp in his latest column for the Dayton Daily News.

Stupp reports that Ortiz is talking to the usual suspects such as Affliction and EliteXC but also adds that the Kentucky-based American Fight League is making a play for his services and that even talks are taking place between Ortiz and the UFC.

Despite the resumption of talks, it remains to be seen just how serious Ortiz is about signing a contract and fighting anytime soon.

“I don’t know if we’re really negotiating, or simply helping Tito stroke his giant ego,” an unnamed fight company representative is quoted as saying in Stupp’s article.

Ortiz’s options may not be as plentiful as they were several months ago. Recent reports indicate that ProElite-owned EliteXC is not doing well financially and there are strong indications that Affliction could start exercising greater fiscal responsibility.

The AFL is a bit of a mystery player as they’ve made high-profile signings of former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley and former BodogFIGHT women’s champion Tara LaRosa in recent months, but they’ve yet to make any formal plans regarding a much-talked about November pay-per-view.

Might a return to the UFC be a realistic option for Ortiz? While a lot of bad blood exists between he and company President Dana White, that hasn’t prevented them from agreeing on a new contract in the past. If CEO Lorenzo Fertitta makes Ortiz a strong enough offer, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him fight again in the Octagon once more.

Tom Hamlin of MMAWeekly.com has a good followup to a SportsIllustrated .com report last week that indicated that former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz was about to finalize a contract with Affliction.

The report was later amended after Ortiz failed to show up the next day for a press conference in Las Vegas to promote Affliction’s second-ever event, “Day of Reckoning.”

Hamlin quotes Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio as confirming that the promotion is engaged in contract talks with Ortiz. At one point he goes so far as to say there’s a contract in place.

“We’ve got a contract, and it’s just not feasible,” Hamlin quotes Atencio as saying.

Wait, did he mean they have framework of a contract or do they actually have a finished contract and simply have buyer’s remorse regarding a contract that Ortiz described as record-breaking?

Based on the timing of last week’s events, I’m not sure what to think because there were people convinced, Ortiz being one of them, that an agreement was in place.

Hamlin states that few details are available regarding the state of the negotiations but that the money being discussed is a major sticking point.

The article quotes Affliction officials as saying that if Ortiz does sign, he’d be unlikely to be available for the Oct. 10 show.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral may be a very busy man over the next couple of months. Sources have confirmed that Babalu is set to face Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth on Saturday, September 20.

The September 20th date is only three weeks prior to the second Affliction show where Babalu is supposed to be facing Tito Ortiz.

It’ll be very interesting if both organizations are willing to let Sobral fight on two different shows so close together. While Sobral would be a heavy favorite against Southworth, he could be forced to go five rounds with the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.

Plus, based on all accounts, the Affliction show would pay Sobral substantitally more. Sobral also has publicly stated the the match-up with Ortiz is his “dream fight”. However, for Strikeforce to be willing to announce the fight, I would think they would feel very positive that it will take place. The other possibility is that negotiations between Ortiz and Affliction have fallen off. This could be a very interesting situation over the next few months.

With rumors continuing to swirl that Tito Ortiz is close to signing a deal with Affliction, it got me thinking: is Ortiz really worth all the money that he says that Affliction is going to pay him? Sure, he was a no-show at the presser today and nothing official has been announced regarding his signing with the company but all signs point to him having a contract with them at some point soon. So is he worth the money?

If what Ortiz said to SI.com is true, that he will be getting a contract like no other fighter has ever seen before, then it’s obviously going to be very big money. Now, granted, Ortiz has been known to exagerrate in his past, but exagerration or not, it’s going to be big dollars. He is a hot free agent, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a huge name, a very good trash talker who knows how to hype a fight, and he’s helped build the sport of MMA into what it is today. He knows how to sell pay-per-views and that’s something that Affliction needs help with. I realize these things.

But what assets does Ortiz bring to the table that they’re willing to pay him so much money? Fighting acumen? Hardly. Ortiz’s days as an elite level fighter are well behind him. He’s lost a step in his explosiveness and his striking has always been mediocre. He’s a fighter, just like Matt Hughes, whose game has never evolved along with the sport. In modern MMA you have to be well rounded just to get by. You can’t rely on one thing anymore and Ortiz has always heavily relied on his wrestling and still does. When that’s not going well for him, he has nothing else to fall back on. He’s one dimensional. Is it worth it for Affliction to shell out big dollars for someone who is one dimensional and past their prime?

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Despite a report published late Tuesday on SI.com, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz did not appear at Affliction’s press conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The promotion was in town to kickoff the push for its Oct. 11 “Day of Reckoning” pay-per-view that is set to emanate from the Thomas & Mack Center.

The news comes via a report by Sherdog.com’s Loretta Hunt.

According to Hunt, Affliction contradicted the SI report that stated it was expected to be announced formally on Wednesday that Ortiz had signed a lucrative contract. Officials with the promotion said that Ortiz has in fact not signed with the company.

Sherdog’s report goes on to add that an attorney for Affliction entertainment confirmed potential interest in Ortiz but went so far as to brand the original report by SI as a “rumor.”

It remains to be seen whether this was a case of Ortiz and Affliction being close to a deal and one of the parties getting cold feet or the report simply lacking validity.

Sherdog is also reporting that Affliction has announced matchups between Vitor Belfort vs. Matt Lindland and Roy Nelson vs. Paul Buentello at its upcoming show in October. The two bouts join the show’s main event of Josh Barnett vs. Andrei Arlovski as fights that have been made official.

The New York Post’s “Page Six” gossip column is reporting that retired pornographic film actress Jenna Jameson is expecting a child with former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

According to the report, Jameson recently canceled a series of meetings scheduled to take place during New York’s famed “Fashion Week” upon hearing the news. Both Ortiz and Jameson had stated in interviews in the past that they intended to start a family.

Ortiz, who is expected to announce a new lucrative contract with Affliction’s MMA promotion during a press conference scheduled for today in Las Vegas, has a son with his ex-wife, Kristen. This will be the first child for Jameson, who reportedly miscarried in 2006 while married to ex-husband and pornographic movie producer Jay Grdina.

Bryan Alvarez of Figure 4 Online is reporting that former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz is expected to announce during a press conference tomorrow that he has signed with Affliction.

Ortiz completed his UFC contract at UFC 84 on May 24, losing a unanimous decision to undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida.

Immediately after the bout, Ortiz became a restricted free agent with the UFC still retaining a right of first-refusal. However, that contract provision expired in recent days, making Ortiz an unrestricted free agent.

Previous reports have indicated that a light heavyweight bout between Ortiz and Renato “Babalu” Sobral, another former member of the UFC’s 205 lbs. division, are expected to fight during Affliction’s next show on Oct. 11 in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

The event will be titled “Affliction: Day of Reckoning” and will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between a pair of former UFC heavyweight champions, Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett.

A light heavyweight clash between former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and former UFC light heavyweight title contender Renato “Babalu” Sobral is close to being added to the card of Affliction’s next show, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports’ Steve Cofield.

The proposed Ortiz vs. Sobral bout would co-headline Affliction’s Oct. 11 show at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The tentative main event for the show will feature Fedor Emelianenko defending the WAMMA heavyweight title vs. former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

Cofield contacted Affliction V.P. Tom Atencio would not confirm the report. The promotion won’t be releasing further details about the October show until a Aug. 6 news conference that will be taking place in Las Vegas. Atencio also indicated that he was under the impression that under the terms of Ortiz’s non-compete with the UFC that they cannot speak with him until Aug. 4. He also expressed that financial Ortiz’s financial requirements could also be a concern.

Ortiz is 0-2-1 in his last three fights and last competed on May 24 at UFC 84, losing a unanimous decision to undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida. Prior to the Machida fight, the last time he had competed was the previous July, going to a draw with Rashad Evans.

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Former UFC heavyweight Maurcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz has been signed to fight for the IFL, according to the promotion’s official web site (IFL.tv). Cruz will be fighting for Renzo Gracie’s New York Pitbulls and his first fight will be June 16 in Las Vegas against Rafael Feijao of the Toronto Dragons. 

Cruz is most familiar to MMA fans for his win against Frank Mir while in the UFC. He was let go by the UFC following his loss several months back to Andrei Arlovski (the one where Arlovski knocked him silly while the two were on the ground jockeying for leg locks). 

He’s without question one of the best heavyweight MMA Jiu-Jitsu players in the world right now and definitely bolsters the IFL’s talent roster.